Re: simple Latin pronounciations

SCHLAUER@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Thu, 12 Dec 1996 19:38:28

Dear John,

> Unfortunately for myself, I have a hard time pronouncing most of the latin
> names, and I have no reference at all as to what they should sound like, so
> any assistance here would be greatly appreciated.

I am not a philologist, so the following hints cannot claim any
scientifically sound footing. Sorry all you learned and esteemed
colleagues out there who did not dare to interfere yet. Here comes a
quick and dirty approach:

First, isolated vowels (i.e. not diphtongs like ae, oe, ue) do
generally have only *one* phonetic value in Latin, i.e. an "a" is
always pronounced like the "a" in "bar" (transliterated as "ah"
below), whether it is long or short.

"e" is like in "get" ("ay" below).
"i" is like in "in" ("ee" below).
"o" is like in "roll" ("ow" below).
"u" is like in "you" ("ou" below).

Diphtongs are somewhat disputed. Germans prefer the following:
"ae" like "a" in "black".
"oe" like the end of the French "lieu" (sorry, no English equivalent).
"ue" like in the French "vue" (v.s.).

"eu", pronounced by most Germans as "oi", should rather be "e-u"
(i.e. "ay-ou" below) because it is not a diphtong in Latin.

All other combinations of two adjoining vowels are to be pronounced
like two separate ones.

_Dionaea_ is therefore "Di-onae-a". Droseraceae are Droserace-ae.

Usually, Latin names are pronounced with a stress on the
propaenultima, i.e. the third syllable counted from the end of the
word. So Droseraceae are Droser*a*ce-ae. An important exception being
some loanwords and especially composite words :
_grandifl*o*ra_ (cf. longif*o*li-a), there are several other
exceptions too numerous to list here.

Consonants:
"b", "d", "f", "k" (not known in classical Latin), "l", "m", "n", "p",
"t" like in English.

"c" was indiscriminately used like "k" at least during long periods of
time (e.g. by the famous Kaesar and Kikero) in classical Latin. Some
(including myself) prefer to pronounce it like "ts" if "e", "i" or a
diphtong follows.

"ch" is pronounced like "kh" in "Kazakhstan", originally it was
exclusively used to transliterate the Greek "X" (chi) in classical
Latin.

Note: modern Italian is mostly different from classical
Latin in the pronounciation of both "c" and "ch"!

"g" like in "gut" but "gn" like "nj". Again, Italian is
frequently different!
"h" like in "hat" but cf. "ch" (v.s.).
"j" like the beginning of "you".
"qu" like "kw".
"r" is "rolled" like in Italian.
"s" is mostly like in "voiceless", i.e. not like "z" in "zoom".
"v" is like "v".
"x" is like "ks".
"y" is likewise Greek and pronounced like in "family".
"z" is also Greek and may be pronounced like in "zoom" or like "ts".

Examples:
_Pisum sativum_:
"P*ee*-ssoum" (with short "ou") "ssah-t*ea*-voum" (short "ah" and
"ou").

species:
sp*ae*-tsee-aess. (NB: "ae" symbolizes pronounciation of "e" like in
"get" not like "a" in "black"!).

_Darlingtonia_:
"Dahrrr-leeng-t*ow*-nee-ah" or just "Darlington-ee-ah".

_Heliamphora_:
"Hay-lee-*ah*mm-fowrrr-ah" ("*ah*" is short).

_Sarracenia_:
"SSahrrr-ah-ts*ay*-nee-ah".

_Byblis_:
"B*y*bb-liss" ("y" like explained above, not "aie").

_Cephalotus_
"Tseff-ah-l*ow*-touss" (stress somewhat doubtful). Here,
also "Keff-ah-l*ow*-touss" would be legitimate as it is derived from
the Greek "Kephale".

_Dionaea muscipula_:
"Dee-awn-ay-ah" (I do not know exactly where to stress. Anyway, it has
a long "o" from the greek omega) "mooss-ts*ee*-pou-lah".

_Aldrovanda_:
Any Italian pronounciation allowed as this name is commemorating an
Italian.

_Drosera_:
"Drrr*ow*-ssay-rrrah".

_Drosophyllum_:
"Drrr*ow*-ssow-f*y*ll-oum".

_Triphyophyllum_:
"Trrree-fy-ow-f*y*ll-oum" (not "aie", v.s.!).

_Nepenthes_:
"N*ae*-penn-thaess".

_Genlisea_:
Commemorating a Frenchwoman, approximately "John-l*ee*-say-ah",
Latin would be more in the direction of "Gayn-l*ee*-say-ah".

_Pinguicula_:
"Pin-gou-*ee*-kou-lah".

_Utricularia_:
"Ou-trrree-kou-l*ah*-ree-ah".

Polypompholyx:
"Pow-lee-p*ow*m-fow-lyks".

_Roridula_:
"RRRow-rrr*ee*-dou-lah".

_Brocchinia_:
"Brrrowk-kh*ee*-nee-ah".

_Catopsis_:
"Kah-t*o*-psiss".

_Dipsacus_:
"D*ee*-psah-kouss" (stress doubtful).

_Molinia_:
"Moll-*ee*n-ee-ah".

_Lathraea_:
"Lahth-rrr*ay*-ah" (stress doubtful).

_Ibicella_:
"Ee-b*ee*-tsell-ah" (stress doubtful).

_Capsella_:
"Kah-ps*ay*-llah" (stress doubtful).

Ask Allen Lowrie how _walyunga_ is pronounced. I guess it is
something like "w*****ngah" (put whatever you like for "*").

Kind regards
Jan